Sometimes I head out on a trip feeling confident about what I’ll find, only to discover that reality is vastly different from what I expected. Sometimes the day ends poorly. I’ve arrived at destinations with high expectations, only to discover that, sure, the sights are there, but nobody mentioned that …
A Fishing Trip to McKenzie Lake
October 10, 2026. Hemingway has been in Scouting since he was five years old. Now that he’s turned 13, it’s fair to say he’s committed to the many goals and achievements that Scouting encourages. Last summer, he attended a five-day angling school in Tahsis. Since then, he’s headed out …
Canoe Peak
What a day to be in the mountains! Nestled in a valley between The Cats Ear and the Mackenzie Range Peak, Canoe Peak is a hidden gem that is often overlooked due to its obscured location. Trust me when I say it’s worth the squeeze, but you’ll have to squeeze …
Springtime in Tahsis: A snowshoe near Malaspina Peak
Spring’s late-onset has done no great favour for mountaineering. A Cool April and May allowed late-season snow to add to an abundant snowpack, enabling cornices to persist beyond their normal range. Our quartet faced this when we set out to summit Malaspina Peak on May 22, 2022. Malaspina Peak is …
Marmot Mountain
When I posted Marmot Mountain to the club schedule, I enticed members with the promise, “Participants should be willing to participate in moderate bushwhacking to get through the lower areas of this route, and a few of the upper areas… and why not some more in the middle too?”. The …
Mount Apps
Dear Hemingway and Octavia, Most folks will agree that it’s more enjoyable to hike under clear skies than cloudy, but sometimes it rains. Let me make a case for the dreary day adventure. Though the views from the top of a mountain may be vast on sunny days, those sunbathed …
Pogo Mountain: A blast in the bush
additional photo contributions by Jes Garceau Pogo Mountain falls inside the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks. When hiking in these tribal parks, consider making a donation to the Tribal Park Guardians as we did. The Island’s backcountry isn’t immune to the sways of social media. It seems like every summer there’s a …
Mount Leiner and Phil’s beguiling smile
Mount Leiner is a surprisingly spectacular mountain. The most common approach begins on the outer edge of Tahsis, climbs Leiner’s southwest ridge and meanders several kilometres through the bush toward the summit. Considering its relatively low elevation, it holds a surprisingly high alpine character once you get beyond the shrubs. …
Hapush Mountain
There are times when a mountain doesn’t quite measure up to one’s expectations. I’d pushed off an attempt on Hapush Mountain to the backburner in favour of other peaks on our list for several years. When Phil and Rick first did the Hapush, they recited nightmarish stories of bush and …
Volcano Peak – Unfinished Business
And so it was that on July 4, three adventuresome souls faced stifling heat and humidity, flies and bush, all in the name of tending to unfinished business: A successful summit of Volcano Peak. Back before the year that never was, before anyone had heard the word COVID-19, Matthew, Phil and Karl …